Vacancy indicator for motels and like establishments



3,095,558 VACANCY INDICATOR FOR MOTELS AND LIKE ESTABLISHMENTS Filed Dec. 27, 1960 June 25, 1963 c. B. CRUDGINGTON ETAL 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Cleveland B. Crudgingfon BY Colin D. Murdoch June 25, 1963 c. s. CRUDGINGTQN ETAL 3,095,558

VACANCY INDICATOR FOR MOTELS AND LIKE ESTABLISHMENTS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 27, 1960 Fig.3

Cleveland 8. Crudgingfon BY Colin 0. Murdoch INVENTORS June 25, 1963 c. a. CRUDGINGTON ETAL VACANCY INDICATOR FOR MOTELS AND LIKE ESTABLISHMENTS Filed Dec. 2'7, 1960' 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS Cleveland B. Crudgington BY Cgon D. Murdoch VACANCY INDICATOR FOR MOTELS AND LIKE ESTABLISHMENTS Filed Dec. 27, 1960 June 25, 1963 c. a. CRUDGINGTON ETAL 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 m S g m m. T.

d m N w m m N w. m M flu? mw Ho? U? U? U? U? m 1&1 1&1 KM {m1 AMT 1R? 1x. .0 WMK aw Y B vb Wm vn vb vm Wm vm vm m N w n q m N ow mm Om mm Ow mm Om m United States Patent 3,095,558 VACANCY INDICATOR FOR MOTELS AND LIKE ESTABLISHMENIS Cleveland B. Crudgington, San Leandro, Calif., and Colin D. Murdoch, Reno, Nev.; said Murdoch assignor to said Crudgington Filed Dec. 27, 1960, Ser. No. 78,480 3 Claims. (Cl. 340-286) The present invention concerns itself with a problem that is peculiar to motels. One of the great problems in managing motels is to know immediately when a guest has finally vacated his room. Most motels have a definite check-on time, such as 12 oclock noon, by which a room must be vacated unless the guest is prepared to pay another days rent. In reality, however, guests will frequently leave much earlier, sometimes in the small hours of the morning, without notifying the management of the establishment of their departure, and the staff will therefore not attempt to enter the room nor will the management be able to rent the room to a new guest until the checkout time has arrived.

This a serious disadvantage because the staff for cleaning the rooms may be idle through most of the morning hours and may be overworked in the afternoon hours; and the management may have to send guests away that could have been accommodated had it been known that some of the rooms had already been vacated.

The present invention aims to provide a system of, and apparatus for, indicating at the reception desk of a motel at the earliest possible moment, in fact at the moment of departure of a guest, that a room has been vacated and may be cleaned up and rented again to the next arrival. In this manner a motel may be kept in order with a much smaller staff than otherwise necessary so that the establishment can be operated much more economically, and there will be no loss in business due to the fact that the reception clerk may not know whether there is a vacancy and may send a prospective guest away when in fact rooms of the establishment have already been vacated. The system of our invention is such that the room clerk will know whether a guest left his room with the intent to return, such as may be the case when he has gone to have breakfast, or whether he has definitely departed.

Our invention is based upon the realization that the average guest if he paid a deposit for the key to his room, will not depart without recovering the deposit. The present invention provides means by which a guest may recover his deposit in his own room once he has decided to vacate the room, andwhen recovering his deposit he loses control over the key and sets mechanism into motion that indicates at a central panel in the reception office of the motel visibly and/or audibly that his particular room has been vacated and may now be made up and re-rented if the opportunity arises.

It is an object of our invention to provide a simple, dependable, and tamper-proof apparatus for returning the key deposit to a guest who intends to vacate his room.

It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus, of the type referred to, which when operated, deprives the departing guest of control over the key.

Another object of our invention is to provide an app-aratus, of the type referred to, that indicates at once visibly and/or audibly at a central panel which particular room has been vacated.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus, of the type referred to, that may readily be manipulated by the attending staff to release the key and be again in a condition to refund the deposit for a key.

' These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof and wherein FIGURES 1 and 2 are transparent perspectives of an apparatus embodying our invention illustrating different operational positions thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation of a vertical section through the apparatus in the position illustrated in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a cross section through the apparatus taken along line 44 of FIGURE 3 and viewed in the direction of the arrows associated with said line;

FIGURES 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, and 5e are fragmentary front elevations of the control mechanism of the apparatus illustrating a sequence of consecutive operational positions thereof; and

FIGURE 6 is a diagram illustrating the manner in which the condition of a plurality of the apparatus of the invention is visually indicated at a central board or panel.

Having first reference to FIGURES l to .2, the depositreturning apparatus of our invention comprises a box 10 of metal, wood or plastic material that may be secured to a wall, or to the door, of each room in a hotel, motel or like establishment. Its bottom is formed by a hinged trap door 12 that is normally in closed condition (FIG- URES 1, 5a and 5e) and upon which lie coins in the amount of the deposit, say two coins of 5 0 cents, as indicated at 13. The trap door is hingedly connected to the side-walls 14a and 14b of the box adjacent the front-wall 15 thereof by means of a hinge rod 16 and is normally held in closed condition by means of a stirrup 18 in the form of an inverted U whose vertical side bars 19a and 1911 are pivotally engaged in lateral fillets 20a and 20b provided on the trap door 12 along the inner face thereof, and whose cross bar 22 rests upon a stud 24- (FIGURES 1, 4 and 5a) in the upper end of a bar 26. Said bar 26 is secured to, and projects upwardly from, a rotary cylinder 28 (FIGURE 4) that forms part of a lock 30- which is arranged in the front wall 15 of the box 10. Said cylinder 28 turns in the outer bushing 32 of said lock, and by inserting a'key 34 into the key hole 36 of the lock and turning the cylinder in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURES 1, 3 and 5a, the stud 24 is lowered from underneath the cross bar 22 of stirrup 18 (FIG- URE 5b) so that the trap door 12 opens under its own weight and the weight of the coins lying thereon and the coins are discharged onto a suitable coin dispensing trough (not shown) from which they may readily be withdrawn.

The key to be inserted into the key hole 36 may be the room key, but is preferably a smaller key that is securely fastened to the room key 42, or to the tag 44 that is normally attached .to the keys of hotel or motel rooms, as illustrated in FIGURE 2.

Suitably supported from the front Wall 15 of the box is a shelf 46 which in turn supports a normally open switch 48 that is provided with an actuating arm 50 (FIGURE 3). A forwardly projecting stud 52 mounted in the hereinbefore mentioned bar 26 engages the actuating arm 50 when said bar is in its vertically disposed initial position, shown in FIGURES l, 3 and 5a, and holds the switch 48 in open position. Said switch 48 lies in the power circuit of a lamp '54 (FIGURE 6) which may be. of green color and which is mounted on a board or panel 56 that is located in the reception office of the motel or hotel and mounts many such lamps, one for each of the rooms of the establishment, with the number of its corresponding room marked out above each lamp. Hence, whenever, a departing guest operates the lock 30 andturns the lock cylinder 28 in a clockwise direction to release the trap door 12 and regain his deposit for a the room key, the stud 52 is removed from underneath the switch arm 56, the switch 48 closes, and the lamp 54 below the number of his room on the panel 56 in the reception office lights up and informs the reception clerk that the room has become vacant so that he may instruct the cleaning staff to make up the room and may rent it again as soon as a new customer presents himself. If so desired, a buzzer 58 may be connected in parallel with each lamp 54, as shown in FIGURE 6, to draw the room clerks attention to the board 56 whenever a room becomes vacant, and a switch 60 may be connected in series with each buzzer, as likewise shown in FIGURE 6, to enable the room clerk to terminate the operation of the buzzer at will by opening said switch 60.

As long as the rotary cylinder of a lock of the type illustrated in the accompanying drawings is rotationally displaced from its initial position (in which position the key hole is usually disposed in a vertical plane), the key cannot be withdrawn from the lock. Hence, to prevent a departing guest from regaining control of the room key once he has collected the deposit, means is provided in accordance with the invention that makes it impossible for the key to be turned back into its initial position until and unless the deposit coins are returned to the box. For this purpose one corner of a lever 62 resembling a triangle in shape is pivotally supported at a point near the left side Wall 14a of the box (FIGURES 1 and 3) and a short arm 64 formed at the upper one of its free corners rests initially on the stud 24 in the upper end of bar 26 when said bar is in its vertically disposed initial position (FIGURE 5a). Formed on the end of said arm is a forwardly bent ear 66, and when the bar 26 is turned in clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURES 1 and 3 by operation of the lock and the stud 24 is thus withdrawn from underneath the arm 64, the lever 62 drops to a lower level as illustrated in FIGURE 5b. Said lower level is determined by engagement of a rearwardly bent lug 68 (FIGURES 3 and 4) formed near the lower free corner of lever 62, with the bottom edge of a circular hole 70 (FIGURE 5b) provided in a partition wall 72 (FIG- URES 3 and 4) that extends parallel and adjacent to the rear wall '74 of the box. At said lower level of lever 62, its ear 66 intersects the orbit of stud 24 (FIGURE and hence the lock cylinder 28 cannot be returned to its initial position wherein the key hole 36 is vertically disposed so that it is impossible to withdraw the key from the lock.

The apparatus of the invention provides means, however, for raising the lever 62 to its initial position upon return of the key deposit into the box so that the rotary cylinder of the lock may be brought into a position in which the key may be withdrawn. For this purpose the hereinbefore mentioned partition 72 and the rear wall 74 of the box form a coin chute 75 that is accessible through a vertically disposed slot 76 in the side wall 14b of the box near the upper end thereof (FIGURES 1 and 2), and which has an upper descending run 78 that is defined by ledges 80 and 32 on the rear wall 74 and slants to a point near the opposite side wall 14a of the box. Adjacent said side wall 14a the chute forms a short vertical run 84 (FIGURE 3) that curves into an oppositely slanting lower run 85 defined by a concave guide ledge 86. Said ledge 36 ends at a suflicient distance from the right side wall 14b of the box to leave a discharge slot 88 which leads into the bottom of the box 10. When the lock 30 has been operated to open the trap door -12 (FIGURE 5b), said discharge slot 88 is blocked by an ear 90 formed at the end of a one-armed lever 92 that is pivotally supported from the rear wall of the box at a point above the triangular lever 62 (FIGURES 2 and 3) and which is urged by a spring 94 into a counter-clockwise position determined by a bracket 96 that is secured across partition 72. In said counter-clockwise position of lever 92 its ear 9% extends over the discharge slot 88 as illustrated in phantom lines in FIGURE 3 and in full lines in FIG- URE 2. Thus, when a coin is inserted into the coin chute through slot 76 when the lever 92 is in the defined position, its ear 9t) retains the coin in the chute as shown in FIGURES 2 and 5d.

The hereinbefore mentioned lug 68 at the bottom corner of the triangular lever 62 extends through the circular hole in partition wall 72 into the lower run 85 of the coin chute (FIGURE 4); and whenever removal of the stud 24 in bar 26 from underneath the arm 64 of triangular lever 62 has permitted said lever to drop to a position wherein the ear 66 at its upper corner lies in the orbit of said stud 24 (FIGURE 50) and prevents return of the lock cylinder 28 to its initial position at which the key in the lock may be withdrawn, said lug 68 rests upon the bottom edge of the circular hole 70 as pointed out hereinbefore. As shown in FIGURE 3, the lug 63 is disposed obliquely so that its outer surface may readily be engaged by a coin passing from the vertical into the lower run of the coin chute 75. Thus, when a coin of the proper size and weight is dropped into the coin chute and passes through the lower run thereof, it engages the lug 68 and lifts the triangular lever 62 briefly whereupon it settles against the ear 90 at the end of lever 92 which bars the discharge slot 88 of the chute at the moment. When a second coin of the proper size and weight is inserted into the coin chute, however, and passes into the lower run of the chute, it comes to rest against the edge of the previously deposited coin at the very moment when it engages the lug 63 at the bottom corner of triangular lever 62 and has raised said lever to its initial level (FIGURE 5d). Thus, it maintains the ear 66 at the upper corner of said triangular lever 62 in a raised position wherein it is unable to obstruct return of the stud 24, the bar 26 and the lock cylinder 28 to their initial positions (FIGURE 5a). When the lock 30 is now operated to return the rotary cylinder 28 thereof to its initial position, the stud 24 engages the cross bar 22 of stirrup 18 and raises the stirrup to a level wherein it closes the trap door 12 at the bottom of the box (FIG- URE 5e). Briefly thereafter the forwardly projecting stud 52 on said bar 26 engages the counter-clockwise edge of lever 92 and forces said lever in a clockwise direction against the urgency of spring 96. Thus, the coin blocking ear at the bottom of said lever 92 is shifted into the position illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 5e whereat said ear is unable to block escape of the coins in the chute, and as a result thereof said coins will drop through the discharge slot 88 onto the closed trap door 12 as illustrated in FIGURE 5e. After the coins have escaped from the chute and the second coin has thus released the lug 68 on the bottom corner of the triangular lever 62, the arm 64 of said lever settles upon stud 24 which places the triangular lever into precisely its initial position. The key may now readily be withdrawn from the lock and the box is again in its initial condition with the deposit coins for the key safely enclosed therein (FIG- URES 1 and 5a); and as the bar 26 reached its vertically disposed initial position by manipulation of the key 34, the stud 52 engages the actuating arm 50 of the switch 48 on shelf 46. This is effective to open the switch 48 and interrupt the power circuit of the corresponding vacancyindicating lamp on the control board 56 in the reception office causing said lamp to go out.

The apparatus is now again in a position to refund the deposit for the room key and to indicate at the reception ciflice by illumination of a particular lamp and/ or actuation of a buzzer that the room has become vacant, as soon as a departing guest inserts the key into the hole of its lock to recover the deposit coins.

The system of the present invention is easy to employ in practise. When the room clerk hands the room key to a new arrival, he informs him that he is being charged a deposit for the key, and that at the time of departure he may recover the deposit in his own room by simply operating the lock of a deposit refund box which is attached to the wall in the room. Then, when the guest number of coins into the apparatus of the invention so as to regain control of room key which may then be returned to the reception oflice as a token that the room is in condition to be rented out again.

While we have described our invention with the aid of an exemplary embodiment thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific constructional details shown and described, which may be departed from, without departing from the scope and spirit of our invention. Thus, while we have shown the control switches 48 in the boxes as arranged to close individual power circuits for the vacancy indicating lamps 54 on control panel 56 for reasons of simplicity in explaining the principles of our invention, it will be understood that closure of said switches upon operation of the locks 30 may be employed in any other suitable manner to initiate illumination of the corresponding lamps on the control board. For instance, the switches 48 may be arranged upon closure to energize minute radio transmitting sets that are located in, or on, the boxes 10 and are adjusted to different frequencies, and associated with each of the lamps on the control board may be a minute receiving set tuned to a frequency equal to the frequency of the transmitting set in the corresponding coin return apparatus; and said receiving sets may be arranged to close power circuits for their respective lamps in response to the reception of a signal of the particular frequency to which they are tuned.

We claim:

1. An arrangement for indicating room vacancies in motels and like establishments comprising a signalling board having individual signalling means for each of the rooms of the establishment and in each of the rooms an apparatus for returning a deposit for the room key, said apparatus comprising a container for the key deposit, a door for affording access to the deposit in said container, means for activating a corresponding one of the signalling means on said signalling board having a switch within said container, lock means in the walls of said container settable by a key from an initial normal position wherein it holds said door in a closed position to a position wherein it releases said door to provide access to the deposit in the container and causes actuation of said switch to activate the corresponding signalling means on said signalling board, means efiective upon departure of said lock means from its initial position to block its return to said initial position and thus prevent withdrawal of the key, a chute for the insertion of coins into said container, means at the end of said chute for retaining coins inserted into the chute within said chute, means effective in response to the accumulation of a number of coins of predetermined size to disable said blocking means and thus permit said lock means to be returned to its initial position where the key may be withdrawn and said corresponding signalling means is de-activated, and means efiective in response to the return of said lock means to its initial position and upon closure of said door to withdraw said coin retaining means and permit the coins to drop from the chute into the closed container.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said signalling means is a lamp.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said signalling means is a lamp and a buzzer connected in parallel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. AN ARRANGEMENT FOR INDICATING ROOM VACANCIES IN MOTELS AND LIKE ESTABLISHMENTS COMPRISING A SIGNALLING BOARD HAVING INDIVIDUAL SIGNALLING MEANS FOR EACH OF THE ROOMS OF THE ESTABLISHMENT AND IN EACH OF THE ROOMS AN APPARATUS FOR RETURNING A DEPOSIT FOR THE ROOM KEY, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A CONTAINER FOR THE KEY DEPOSIT, A DOOR FOR AFFORDING ACCESS TO THE DEPOSIT IN SAID CONTAINER, MEANS FOR ACTIVATING A CORRESPONDING ONE OF THE SIGNALLING MEANS ON SAID SIGNALLING BOARD HAVING A SWITCH WITHIN SAID CONTAINER, LOCK MEANS IN THE WALLS OF SAID CONTAINER SETTABLE BY A KEY FROM AN INITIAL NORMAL POSITION WHEREIN IT HOLDS SAID DOOR IN A CLOSED POSITION TO A POSITION WHEREIN IT RELEASES SAID DOOR TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE DEPOSIT IN THE CONTAINER AND CAUSES ACTUATION OF SAID SWITCH TO ACTIVATE THE CORRESPONDING SIGNALLING MEANS ON SAID SIGNALLING BOARD, MEANS EFFECTIVE UPON DEPARTURE OF SAID LOCK MEANS FROM ITS INITIAL 